Illustration of catapult
- catapult 1
cat·a·pult
ˈka-tə-ˌpəlt 
-ˌpu̇lt
1
: an ancient military device for hurling missiles
2
: a device for launching an airplane at flying speed (as from an aircraft carrier)
catapulted; catapulting; catapults
: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult
: to become catapulted
he catapulted to fame
Examples of catapult in a Sentence
Verb
They catapulted rocks toward the castle.
The publicity catapulted her CD to the top of the charts.
The novel catapulted him from unknown to best-selling author.
He catapulted to fame after his first book was published.
Her career was catapulting ahead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
An all-wheel drive electric catapult, an electric trebuchet.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2025
Monica Barbaro The year’s other big discovery, who catapulted from obscurity to arguably the people’s favorite in Supporting Actress.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
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Noun
To accommodate four catapults, the ship will need to be larger than the Fujian, matching American tonnage and powered by a nuclear reactor.
—Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
An all-wheel drive electric catapult, an electric trebuchet.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
The film catapulted the Philadelphia native to stardom, leading to acclaimed performances in films like JFK, Apollo 13, and Mystic River.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2025
Monica Barbaro The year’s other big discovery, who catapulted from obscurity to arguably the people’s favorite in Supporting Actress.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catapult
Cite this Entry
“Catapult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catapult. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
catapult
1 of 2 noun
cat·a·pult
ˈkat-ə-ˌpəlt
-ˌpu̇lt
1
: an ancient military device for hurling missiles
2
: a device for launching an airplane (as from the deck of an aircraft carrier)
catapult
2 of 2 verb1
: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult
2
: to become catapulted
he catapulted to fame
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